Second-graders jammed out at Veterans Park, using wheels, metal pipes and plastic discs as percussion instruments. It’s fun, and it’s recycling.
Students in pre-K through second grade learned about the environment at the hands-on Celebrate CommUNITY event. Katherine Anderson started the Earth Day event last year because her son, Tristan, is fascinated by recycling and garbage.
"It obviously got a lot bigger than just his class, and it includes eight schools: Lee, Eugene Fields, Kendall-Whittier, Remington, Emerson, Sequoyah, Chouteau and Mark Twain," Anderson said. "So, Lee Elementary and seven community schools."
More than two dozen organizations came to teach kids about energy conservation, local environmental issues and waste management. Cyndie Short with the Tulsa County Conservation District was on hand to talk to kids about soil quality.
"If we can teach them to keep the soil healthy and keep it stable, then we've got a good chance at having more production and feeding the world," Short said.
Anderson said this year, they came up with environmentally friendly ways to spark kids’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math.
"Kaleidoscopes, we have Tulsa University doing a wind turbine and windmill exhibit," Anderson said. "We've got ramps and tunnels exhibits, so just really pulling in outdoor learning with some of the STEM-related interests."
The Celebrate CommUNITY Earth Day event hosted nearly twice as many students in its second year.
